This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
The common data center model has gone through many variations since its origins in mainframe computing. As shown in FIG. 1, from distributed computers, to the client/server model, the utilization of virtualized servers, grid consolidation, and most recently the trend toward utility or “cloud” computing, the demands on data centers are always changing and evolving, and the pace of that evolution is increasing as well.
Modern data centers are undergoing a broad transformation, which encompasses technical innovation, operational improvement, new design principles, changes in the data center supply chain, and changes to the relationship between IT and business. Thus, modern data centers are forming increasingly complex environments with many variables that must be taken into account when considering methods to optimize their efficiency. Along with this transformation comes the issue of energy efficiency and resource management, which will be vital to the success and long-term sustainment of these modern data centers. Currently, there exists a gap in information between the data center infrastructure layer (power, cooling, and space) and the information technology (“IT”) infrastructure layer (e.g., computing, storage and communications) which is limiting organizations in optimizing efficiency. One example of the layers that form a typical data center is shown in FIG. 2. The ability to maximize efficiency depends upon being able to collect data from all the different components associated with the data center (i.e., IT and infrastructure), and to present the information in a useful way to the system administrators which enables them to make changes when necessary. This ability has come to be referred to among current professionals as “Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM)”.
The need for a DCIM solution has been brought to light largely by the increase in consolidation and the associated virtualization, which has exposed the aforementioned gap between the IT layer and the infrastructure layer of a modern day data center, and especially the inefficiencies that this gap creates. The gap also poses a dilemma for data center managers: should they sacrifice efficiency by leaving unused capacity (e.g., electrical power capacity or cooling capacity) as a safety net against overloading, or should they use this capacity and increase efficiency at the risk of failure? One principal goal of the present DCIM system and method is to aid the decision-making process by providing accurate and real-time information to the system administrators in a useful and meaningful way. The bridging of the IT/infrastructure gap is crucial as the demands placed on data centers continue to grow into the future. But up until the present time, no suitable solutions have been proposed which can provide sufficient information to system administrators to accomplish the needed real time management of infrastructure resources to meet the changing needs of the IT layer.